FDD UNVEILS NEW NONPROLIFERATION AND BIODEFENSE PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 6, 2022 – The nonpartisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) today announced the launch of a new Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program to counter the possession and development of nuclear, chemical, radiological, and biological weapons—and the means to deliver them—by America’s adversaries.

The program is led by FDD Senior Fellow Anthony Ruggiero, former deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs and National Security Council (NSC) senior director for Counterproliferation and Biodefense (2019-2021), who will serve as senior director; and FDD Research Fellow and nonproliferation expert Andrea Stricker, who will serve as deputy director.

Amb. Jackie Wolcott, former U.S. representative to the United Nations in Vienna and the U.S. representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (2018-2021), serves as program chair. Amb. Wolcott and Ruggiero most recently authored “The U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Must Censure Iran” (The Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2022).

“Restoring the international standard of zero chemical weapons use and countering the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are nonpartisan goals,” said FDD Founder and President Clifford D. May. “Amb. Wolcott, Anthony, Andrea, and their team of experts will use their expertise to work tirelessly toward this crucial objective, while countering the flawed narratives and policies that have placed the world in the precarious situation in which it finds itself today.”

Harnessing FDD’s approach of producing actionable research and policy options, the program will focus on four pillars:

1. Biodefense and pandemic preparedness;
2. Nuclear nonproliferation;
3. Zero chemical weapons; and
4. Deterring and devaluing WMD-delivery vehicles and conventional long-range strike capabilities.

“The United States and its allies seek to prevent the rise of additional nuclear weapon states in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said FDD chief executive Mark Dubowitz. “The experts in this program will conduct rigorous research in support of that effort. And while nonproliferation efforts have focused on deterring and preparing for biological weapons use, the COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the need for a flexible U.S. biodefense policy that can simultaneously detect and prepare for the next pandemic.”

FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program will work closely with each of FDD’s programs and centers, including FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power, FDD’s International Organizations Program, and FDD’s Iran Program.

To contact FDD media relations, please email [email protected].

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FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan policy institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Connect with FDD on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.